Design Build (191)

While Grand Valley State University’s new library project is taking shape at the school’s main campus, students will still have to wait to turn the page to a new era at the state-of-the-art learning facility.

In his TEDx Muskegon presentation, Dr. Alan Steinman, director for the Annis Water Research Institute at Grand Valley State University, talked about a “Blue Water Economy” and how the Great Lakes can continue to drive the region’s economy in new ways.

FireKeepers Casino has reached the halfway point on the construction of its 242-room resort-style hotel. When MiBiz spoke to Lansing-based contractor Clark Construction Co., the company had made progress on the hotel exterior and nearly reached the eighth and final story. Project Manager Troy Multon said the tribe will take over the project by late fall.

One of West Michigan’s notable cultural landmarks plans to expand and further cement its “must-see” destination appeal. Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park CEO David Hooker on Feb. 15 announced plans for a $22 million Japanese garden to be completed by 2015. Hooker also took the opportunity to honor the late business leader and philanthropist Fred Meijer during the event held at the gardens.

In the competition for which hotels have the swankiest, most modern amenities, the Amway Grand Plaza has raised the stakes. On Feb. 7, the hotel held an opening reception for its newly renovated Ambassador Ballroom. The $2.4 million project, which included the Crown Foyer and west concourse, was overhauled with updated technology and “glamorized” interiors.

Setting up shop along the Medical Mile opens up the potential for Ferris State University’s College of Pharmacy to forge new partnerships in Grand Rapids. The new $9.1 million College of Pharmacy Center for Innovation Learning and Research houses 150 third-year pharmacy students and serves as a home base for fourth-year students serving clinical internships in the area.

Grand Rapids stands to get more than 100 “workforce housing” apartments in city neighborhoods on the edge of the downtown district, along with four acres of new park space, thanks to a developer’s proposed $18 million project.

An upgrade to Coopersville’s wastewater treatment facility will make way for the new Continental Dairy plant to begin facility testing in February and start producing in spring. Triangle Construction’s $6.7 million project is a large part of an $8.8 million investment in area water and sewage systems. Primary funds for the project come from low-interest loans through the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Agency. The Michigan Economic Development Corp. kicked in another $2 million.

Dilapidated, vacant and otherwise forgotten buildings litter the neighborhoods of Grand Rapids’ Southwest side. They sit unused, like relics of better times with seemingly no better purpose than posing for the all too familiar photos of urban decay.

You can smell the “new” the moment you walk in the door of the Mirador Family Wealth Advisors offices, adjacent to the Fifth Third Bank building in downtown Grand Rapids. You can almost, but not quite, smell the money. That will come later.

Thanks to several private donations, John Ball Zoo has undertaken a series of projects planned to last through 2014. The total cost for the additions is set at $12.5 million with a lead $5 million contribution from the Bill and Bea Idema Foundation.

“A lot of businesses are doing quite well. They generate more of their own activity; there is no tailwind pushing anyone along. I see a lot of people making small bets. They are not looking for home runs and grand slams.

A new bill could change how often Michigan revises its construction codes, and proponents say that could translate into savings for businesses and more consistency in the regulations. The state construction codes reform, House Bill 4561, is currently waiting its day in the Senate. Having passed the house in a 68-to-39 Republican majority vote on Dec. 1, the bill now awaits review by the Senate Committee on Regulatory Reform.

The year 2012 will definitely be better for the architecture/construction community than the last few years. For as bad as 2011 started, it is ending on an up side for most in our related industries. It appears that it will stretch into 2012. Health care, as well as higher education, will continue to be strong in West Michigan.